Find
by Divinations
Summary: With Sam back home for Thanksgiving, Mikaela spends an evening with her boyfriend and considers the changes in her life. Post-RoTF.


Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or the lyrics to the song. I can, however, recommend listening to the song!

Author's Note: Figured something light and happy was needed, considering the depressing news about Transformers 3 and its decision to get rid of Mikaela (or at least the actress playing her) . How is it that you can spend two whole movies building up Mikaela and Sam's relationship, then kill it off in an instant in the third? Anyways, I hope you enjoy the story and I'd appreciate any reviews/feedback.

_**Find**_

.

"_The day is short, the night is cool  
And this night, it was made for fools  
You won't find fools like me and you  
I found myself in you  
You found yourself…"_

_-'Find' by Ridgewalkers featuring El (Andy Moor Remix)  
_

.

Eyes gently fluttering closed, Sam drifted off into a light doze thanks to the heavy Thanksgiving meal he'd just consumed. He probably shouldn't have eaten so much—the food coma was hitting him hard now: his mind was hazy and his eyelids felt heavy—but his mom's home cooking was just too delicious to resist. It was pointless to try to stay awake, so he allowed himself to drawn under. Detaching from his surroundings, his awareness slowly dissipated —the sound of the football game in the background, the feel of Mikaela in his lap, the mouthwatering aromas from dinner still wafting in the air…

His new-found serenity was shattered almost as quickly as it started when Mikaela shifted, remaining seated on him, yet pulling her upper half away from him. The wonderful feeling of her body resting comfortably on his chest with her head against his shoulder vanished, causing him to open his eyes groggily, eager to discover why she'd moved away. His head hurt and eyes burned at being awoken so abruptly, but already missing the close, intimate contact, his sleepy gaze rose to meet hers. She was smiling at him, the soft, mirthful glint in her eyes rapidly being replaced by a look much more penetrative and personal. Considering how much everyone had just eaten, her demeanor seemed impossibly alert and chipper. How had he succumbed to a food coma and she hadn't? Raising his eyebrows in silent question, Sam waited for his girlfriend to speak.

"Wanna go for a drive?" she asked quietly, the noise of the football game on TV making her inaudible to anyone else but him. Sam immediately understood what she really meant; no clarifying questions needed to be asked. Quickly glancing over at his parents and Mikaela's dad who were all seated languidly on the couch, apparently suffering from the same lethargy he experienced just moments earlier, he nodded.

"Great! I'll go get a blanket, just in case," Mikaela replied, happily rising to her feet and hurrying out of the room. Sam also stood, albeit much more leisurely, and stretched his limbs, attempting to chase the fatigue away. Yawning deeply, he turned towards the three adults seated on the other side of the room.

"Is it okay if 'Kaela and I go for a drive in Bee?" Sam queried, addressing his own parents and Mikaela's dad simultaneously.

They all exchanged looks, seeing if there were any complaints or concerns.

"Sure, Sam. Just don't stay out too late or get into trouble," his Mom answered simply, for once not adding one of her trademark awkward and embarrassing remarks such as "make sure you use protection". Thankful for that minor miracle, Sam inwardly breathed a sigh of relief—a careless statement like that in front of Mr. Banes would have probably resulted in a _very_ quick end to his life, and worse still, no night out with his girlfriend.

"I won't, Mom." Sam droned, using the same, conditioned assurance he'd been giving his parents for years. Why they still persisted in asking, he didn't know. It wasn't as though he'd actually tell them if he was going to do something wild or reckless.

"Well we'll see you later then, Kiddo. Have fun," his dad said dismissively, his attention yet again on the football game.

"Thanks," Sam turned and left the living room, walking towards the front door and his waiting girlfriend, a thick fleece blanket held in her arms. As he flung open the door for her with an exaggerated flourish of chivalry, Mikaela rolled her eyes at her dorky boyfriend and yelled her goodbyes.

.

The sun lay low in the horizon in front of them, the surrounding sky a brilliant array of intense orange and red hues. Overhead, darkness was slowly creeping forward, broken up only by the pale light of the rising moon and the dim twinkling of the many scattered stars.

Sam and Mikaela lay on Bee's hood in their usual spot: by the tree near the edge of the lookout point. The secluded area had its benefits: there wasn't another soul for miles and there were no lights to speak of, leaving the couple utterly withdrawn from the rest of the world, alone in their own private realm. The wind whispered gently around them, kissing their faces with cool fall air and fluttering their hair. Silence permeated endlessly throughout their surroundings, with only the occasional, hushed rustling of the grass and tree branches interrupting the tranquility.

And neither Sam nor Bee seemed eager to end the peaceful aura Mikaela noted; they both remained uncharacteristically subdued, obviously as entranced by the vision before them as she was. For Mikaela, though, it wasn't just the utter beauty of the moment that she was savoring, it was something much deeper. For the first time in months, life was simple, and dare she say…normal. There were no Decepticons, battles, bloodshed, or fear. She and Sam were just a typical teenage couple, enjoying an evening to themselves. It was somewhat depressing that this feeling of normalcy was so strange to her, but, she supposed, that was to be expected after discovering an alien race with the awkward boy who was now your boyfriend.

While life was certainly more unpredictable, complicated and dangerous, Mikaela did not regret for one second her decision to get in the car with Sam. She may have been a fool for making that risky choice, but she was glad she did. Meeting Sam Witwicky and being thrown into the world of the Autobots and Decepticons had been a sobering experience, forcing her to totally reevaluate herself as a person. Some changes had to be made in her life, and they were. Dating an amazing, caring guy like Sam, as opposed to some jerk like Trent, was perhaps the best example of this. Of course, her evolving identity had its consequences like the bitter taunts from that jackass and his other jock buddies, and the derisive, backstabbing remarks from the girls she'd thought were her friends. However, none of that really fazed her. All that mattered was that for the first time in her life, she was truly happy, safe in the knowledge that she was finally comfortable with her identity and self.

Getting into Sam's car had lead to other things, too. For one, her interest in school had risen greatly. After meeting her new alien friends, she realized she didn't know nearly as much about things as she thought she did. The only way to better understand the world and its workings was to learn, unraveling life's mysteries one by one. And she was proud to say that her infectious enthusiasm and encouragement had rubbed off on Sam too—his grades, much like hers, were higher than ever.

Perhaps most importantly, though, her general outlook on life had changed. No longer did things seem so bleak; life was full of infinite possibilities. Her hopes and dreams had returned, having been previously destroyed by her difficult childhood and teenage years. If aliens could exist and a simple teenage boy from some sleepy American town could save the world, then truly anything was possible. She couldn't and wouldn't allow her past to determine who she was and who she became, even if idiots like Simmons thought otherwise, believing that she'd never be anything more than a criminal. Maybe, just maybe, she could get a job as a mechanic, save up some money, and eventually go to college. She shook herself mentally at that thought; that was all a few years away and for now, she was content to just lie in Sam's loving arms, watching the day end and the night approach.

.

As the sun continued its gradual descent, Mikaela was thankful she'd had the foresight to bring the blanket—Sam's body heat, while very pleasant, couldn't stave off the dropping temperatures alone. Shivering slightly, she pulled the soft fleece blanket up tighter around her shoulders and leaned back harder into Sam's chest, craving his warmth, as his arms automatically tightened around her slender frame.

"This was a great idea babe," Sam whispered next to Mikaela's ear, his hot breath causing the hair on her neck to stand on end. The sensation, and the fact that he was speaking for the first time since they'd gotten on Bee's hood, threw her off balance momentarily.

"Someday you'll learn that all my ideas are great ones," she countered after a short pause, easily falling back into their usual banter. She couldn't see Sam's face since she was still snuggled up against him, but she could sense the smile forming on his face, keen to prove her statement wrong.

"Oh, so that time you decided you just had to have a 'piece of Sam' while my parents were upstairs sleeping counts as a 'great idea'?"

"Well my needs were definitely taken care of and they didn't actually catch us in the act either, so yes."

"Come on! I had to cover us with a blanket to hide the fact that neither of us were wearing pants!" Sam replied, slightly exasperated at her nonchalance towards the incident in question.

"Well I didn't think they'd actually wake up!" she retorted. Then, throwing back the blanket and repositioning herself such that her lips ghosted over the shell of his ear, she breathed airily, "Plus, you have to admit the danger was kind of a turn-on." Mikaela pulled away to look Sam in the eye, daring him to disagree. Their eyes met, and instantly she knew she'd won, the darkening of his eyes proving it to her. He knew damn well that the possibility of getting caught had made things extra hot, and that added spice clearly meant it was a superb suggestion by her. Her method of arguing may have been a little unfair, though, she realized in retrospect—his face seemed unusually pale, as if all the blood had suddenly rushed to some lower part of his body…

"So as I was saying, this was a good idea," Sam finally said unevenly, coming out of his stupor and shaking his head at the triumphant, smug look on her face.

"Yea…" she agreed, recovering herself with the blanket and nestling back into Sam's loving and warm embrace.


End file.
